Dream Valley Challenge 24 - Animals

Hiya!

Firstly I want to thank you all for all your lovely comments and suggestions on my dodgy CAS card :-) Many of you would like me to extend the branch so it's not floating so when I get a chance I'm going to have a go and then show you the results :-) Wish me luck!

Anyway I'm back with another challenge from Dream Valley! This week we would love to see some ANIMALS!!!

And we have a fab SURPRISE parcel waiting for the lucky winner.....

Now I was planning on using some gorgeous little jungle animal digis I've got and be extra organised making George's birthday card, but alas.... my printer had other ideas!  Luckily, in my box of images I found this gorgeous little Fairytale Tilda with a cute little froggy sent to me by the lovely Mandy - thank you :-)

Just lately everything's been a bit pink (there are more pink cards I haven't posted on here yet!) and although this is still pink, I wanted to use slightly more subtle shades.....

And just because my lovely new daylight lamp picks out the sparkle so nicely in photos.....

I've used my xcut leafy lace border die snipped at intervals along it to be able to curve it around the oval to make a border for my image.  And then I had a go at making a rose using my new rolled flower die that I had for Christmas.... Not bad but I think I need a few more practices before I get it just right. (I have since made another in material and that has worked out much better - look out for it on a future card!)

I used:

Image - Fairytale tilda

Promarkers

Stickles

Papers - Papermania V&A Hanoverian Collection

Xcut leafy lace border punch

Rolled rose die

Crealies leaf die

Ribbon and pearls from stash

Challenges:

Ladybug Crafts Ink - Bows

Moving along with the Times - Things with wings

Paperplay Challenges - Ribbon every which way

Pollycraft - Bingo (Ribbon, sparkle, flowers)

Totally Tilda - Tilda with a non-domesticated animal

Now don't forget to pop over to Dream Valley to see the beautiful creations made by the rest of the DT! Back again soon!

Love 'n' hugs,

I still can't do CAS.....

Me again!

I keep seeing all of these beautiful CAS cards out there but I just can't do them! No matter how much inspiration I get! Well you don't get anywhere unless you try, do you?

Here goes (apologies for the wonky photo!):

The image and sentiment is from Little Claire's Butterfly Tree set, coloured of course with my promarkers.... and then not a lot else.... In fact, nothing else at all!. This is the hard part. I want to add something.... It seems naked! But then I always do that to CAS cards and end up spoiling them. I want to doodle round the edge to do a border - what do you think? Give it a go or leave it as it is?

And just for a laugh I'm entering it into the following challenges:

Less is More - One layer card with birds

Charisma Cardz - Clean and Simple

Moving along with the times - Things with wings

Help and suggestions please blogging pals!

Love 'n' hugs,

Another baby card.....

Hiya....

Now I told you I loved this stamp so here's another card using LOTV's All Our Dreams image - this time in pink! I'm going through a bit of a pink phase at the moment so my next few cards are going to be baby cards, pink cards, or pink, baby cards! :-) Sorry!

I wanted to use some of my neglected embossing folders which have been hiding away in a drawer. Both the hearts one and the butterflies one are from Crafts Too. The leaf die was a Christmas pressie and I've had the flowers since my NEC craft show visit in 2010.  I think it qualifies for the Out with the Old challenge at Stampin' for the weekend :-)

A close up of the image:

I used:

Image and sentiment - LOTV

Promarkers

Nesties

Crafts Too embossing folders

Leaf die - must look up the make!

Flowers from stash

Challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge - Photo inspiration

Creative inspirations - Use your favourite colour + white

Let's ink it up - Anything goes (2nd entry)

Stampin' for the weekend - Out with the old

Right, I'm off to link this up... Have a fab day!

Love 'n' hugs,

All our dreams.....

Hiya,

I've been having a little play with some of my Christmas goodies.  I got a few LOTV stamps but this one has got to be my fave. Now I don't have a new baby to be making a card for just yet (although my friend's is due in May - so exciting!) so this one is just for fun....

And this is my first opportunity to use my new daylight lamp - the colours looked really dull without it.

A close-up of the image....

And the sentiment comes with the stamp too - fab!

A better piccie to see my faux stitching....

I used:

Image and sentiment - LOTV

Papers - Papermania, Henbury Lane

Promarkers

Nesties

Sizzix swirl

Brush markers for faux stitching

Buttons and pearls from stash

Challenges:

CRAFT - Celebrations

Crafty Ribbons - New beginnings

Creative inspirations - Swirls and pearls

Cupcake craft challenges - Something new

Ladybug crafts ink - Use your new stash

Let's ink it up - Anything goes

Lili's little fairies - Favourite LOTV stamp

Moving along with the times - Spots and/or stripes

Paperplay - In stitches

Secret crafter Saturday challenge - Anything goes with blue

Simon says stamp - Spots and/or stripes

Wow! It's not like me to manage that many challenges for a card! Right, I'm cooking my Sunday dinner so I'd better be off. See you again soon :-)

Love 'n' hugs,

Dream Valley Challenge 23 - Anything goes: My wedding invitations

Hiya!

Well that didn't exactly go to plan, did it? I had (still have....) all these Christmas cards to show you and I haven't had five minutes to myself to add them to my blog, nevermind visit everyone else's!  So here it is, my first blog post of the year so I thought I'd make it a special one.  Not only is this for Dream Valley's first challenge of the year (which is ANYTHING GOES as it happens....) but it is also my opportunity to show you my wedding invitations and my very first tutorial! I hope you're prepared for a lot of photos....

I needed two versions for the wedding and the evening reception.....

The decorative corner is cut from some beautiful pearlescent champagne coloured paper I got from ebay. I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what the die is cos I borrowed it from a good friend of mine but if anyone really wants to know I'll go back to her and try to find out for you.... You've seen the punched butterflies a million times before on my cards but this is the reason I originally bought the punch!  The wording stamps are from Papermania.

And then when you open it out......

A blogging pal was looking for a template for a tri-fold pocket card and I joined the hunt and became so cross that I couldn't find one that I decided to make my own..... I grew to love the design so much I decided they just had to be the format for my invites.  Now being a bit tight (perhaps that should be thrifty.... or careful....) I've designed these to be cut from one sheet of A4 each as you will see below (if you haven't lost the will to live before you get there!)

I had so much trouble finding some beautiful decorative scrolls and accents to add to my inserts that in the end I approached the lovely Lynne at Sentiments 4 You and she designed this beautiful set just for me - isn't she a sweetie!  I've printed the wording onto the same champagne coloured pearlescent paper I used on the front.

The little pocket contains tags with all the little bits of information my guests need - directions, accommodation information, gift info and the RSVP card in its own little envelope :-) I decorated the pocket with the antique gold pearlescent paper I had used as a matt for the wording and the butterflies on the front. A pain in the bum to do but worth it!

Paul and I have been together for years so we don't need any pressies so instead we're having a wishing well. If you're not familiar with the idea, your guests can throw some pennies into the wishing well instead of buying a present and make a wish for you instead. There are loads of wishing well poems out there but I couldn't find any that said exactly what I wanted to say, so instead I pinched bits from several and made up my own.  You should be able to read it if you click on the piccie and enlarge it....

When you fold it all up it looks like an envelope at the back so I added a little envelope seal to keep it all intact....

So here's the tutorial bit.....

Start with your piece of A4 card in the landscape orientation.

The measurements starting top RIGHT and moving across to the left are 1cm, 10cm, 10.2cm, 4cm.

Repeat those measurements 14cm down the page.

Make the envelope flap by measuring 6cm out from the point halfway down the left-hand vertical line (7cm down)

The pocket is the tricky bit. Continue the two right-hand vertical lines another 6cm down the sheet. Between these lines you need to form the v-shape to make your pocket. I found the easiest way was to locate the centre of the right-hand panel (this is 6cm from the right-hand edge of the card) and measure down 4.5cm.  Add 1cm wide flaps to each side of the pocket as shown and then trim away the excess card.

Score and fold either side of the central panel, the base of the right-hand panel and the flaps on the pocket.....

If you want to decorate the right-hand panel, I would do that now before you stick the pocket in place.

IMPORTANT: Check the folding of your card is straight. The extra 0.2cm on the middle panel allows room for the pocket when folding so it is all aligned. If, when you fold it, it isn't quite square, cut a tiny way into the line between the pocket and the right-hand panel from the left-hand flap and tuck the flap in a little tighter. This seems to rectify most problems.....

Fix the pocket in place....

Check the folding of your card and decorate as you wish!

I hope that all sounds quite straight forward. It wasn't that hard really, once I'd figured out the measurements that worked. If I haven't explained myself very clearly, try enlarging the piccie with the measurements on it or feel free to ask me any questions. And please, if you have a go, let me know so I can pop over and have a nosey :-)

I'm entering this into the Anything Goes challenge over at CES challenges.

Anyway, if you've made it this far I'm impressed! And thank you! Hope I haven't bored you to tears :-)

Now please do remember to pop over to Dream Valley and join in with our ANYTHING GOES challenge and see what all my fab teamies have made and I PROMISE to go visiting all your blogs very soon.

Love 'n' hugs,